"It's not very interesting to do what others can. To create something out of nothing in a completely new way is far more inspiring." This is how Sergei Bobkov explains the unique form of art that he created. He says many people compare his artworks to taxidermy, because they both look so much like the animals they replicate, but Sergei believes they are as different as light and darkness.

Whereas taxidermy is all about death, his wood-chip art symbolizes life. This resident of Kozhany, Russia has developed his very own technique that prevents wood-chips from falling apart in time. After creating about 100-150 chips from 2-3 inch long cedar sticks, he puts them in water for several days.

Then, making use of his surgical precision, he carves the chips into any shape he needs. Sergei has been doing this for some time now, but he has only created 11 wood-chip sculptures. That's because just one of these incredible artworks takes around six months to complete at a work rate of 10-12 hours per day with NO days off!

Sergei Bobkov focuses on wildlife creatures and he studies their anatomy for months before starting work on a sculpture. Even though he was offered $17,000 for his wood-chip eagle, Sergei Bobkov declined saying his art is "not for sale."